I have spent the last several years rediscovering my faith after having reaffirmed my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior.
A critical part of this process and journey in faith has been spending time with God's word. One of the ways I have done this is by spending time with a great group of men studying the Bible on a weekly basis. We meet, read and share without judgement, with love and support for each other.
An outcome of following this path has been thinking daily about my commitment to Christ. What does it mean to walk with Christ. For each of us this certainly is unique. For me, through prayer, I am trying to spend time every day learning and listening.
So the story of how this idea germinated for me started when I went to work in downtown Minneapolis.
The stress of work is sometimes intense. In the interest of my own sanity, to provide myself time to reflect and to get in a little daily exercise, I started walking. Walking the skyways. For those who are famaliar with the downtown Minneapolis skyways you know that the skyways
represent a sprawling network covering miles and for most people, especially during the winter time, a great place to walk, socialize, shop or get lunch. Despite the fact that the skyways are bubbling with activity, especially at lunch time, this became a sanctuary for me.
These walks gave me time - time to problem solve, to plan, to reflect, to observe and to pray. Part of the observation piece of these walks as many will attest is that unless you are blind, you
cannot help but see the numerous homeless that hang out in the skyway. Especially in the winter time, this becomes their daytime home, a place to stay warm and safe. Once in a while one of them will stop you and ask for help. I have to be honest here - sometimes that feels uncomfortable. But often, I would reach into my pocket and give them some change or a few dollars. Of course, for a moment, I would feel good about what I had done. However, this act should not be about me, it is about the other person, about their need and serving God, as shared with us through God's word:
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25:25-40
It is clear we are called to share our blessings. When we see opportunities to help, Christ tells us that we are to help those in need, without judgement.
While walking I would often think about this. One day I was struck by the thought that many of the needy I ran into on my walks lived daily without a lot of hope. How do I, one person, make a difference when there are so many needs, so many people that need some sort of help, that need hope?
I also struggled with the thought that we as a society (I mean the statement as a reference to an overall trend - my opinion only) have been fast moving away from God's call to help those in need to an "I" centric world, where many individuals are focused only on themselves.
One particular day as I was walking I had a thought...how do we move from a society that chases and embraces the idea of 15 minutes of fame (as coined by Andy Warhol) to a society that is willing to share 15 minutes of hope?
This happened about a year ago. When I finished my walk and was back at my desk, I took a post-it-note and wrote down the words "15 minutes of hope" and pinned it on the wall. I had a few discussions with co-workers and others but never really pursued this thought further.
Until now. I recently lost my job in a corporate re-organization. Not a bad thing, just a part of my journey in this life and in Christ.
As I packed up, I made sure I grabbed that note.
While working on my career transition, I have had time to pray about my career direction and the idea of 15 minutes of hope, where that might lead me. In addition to pursuing my next career opportunities, I have also slated time to pursue this idea. As I have been doing research, in addition to what I was already aware of, I have discovered many other people and organizations that make me hopeful - people and organizations that reach out to those in need as we been called to do - delivering hope.
I am not sure how this idea will germinate and bloom but there is a growing list of ideas about what this can become from those who have heard the idea. Taking all of this input to create a way that delivers on the idea of 15 minutes of hope is the ultimate goal. In my future posts I will share ideas others have contributed. This idea comes from walking with Christ. So where ever this idea goes, it is for God's glory.
I look forward to hearing from you, if you feel moved to, please share your thoughts on delivering 15 minutes of hope to someone who needs it!
Patrick Engesser
May 2013
P.S. I will write about this more but it may take awhile before I get the next posting written. The plan is to start sharing some of the ideas that have been generated so far regarding what 15 minutes of hope might lead to.
A critical part of this process and journey in faith has been spending time with God's word. One of the ways I have done this is by spending time with a great group of men studying the Bible on a weekly basis. We meet, read and share without judgement, with love and support for each other.
An outcome of following this path has been thinking daily about my commitment to Christ. What does it mean to walk with Christ. For each of us this certainly is unique. For me, through prayer, I am trying to spend time every day learning and listening.
So the story of how this idea germinated for me started when I went to work in downtown Minneapolis.
The stress of work is sometimes intense. In the interest of my own sanity, to provide myself time to reflect and to get in a little daily exercise, I started walking. Walking the skyways. For those who are famaliar with the downtown Minneapolis skyways you know that the skyways
represent a sprawling network covering miles and for most people, especially during the winter time, a great place to walk, socialize, shop or get lunch. Despite the fact that the skyways are bubbling with activity, especially at lunch time, this became a sanctuary for me.
These walks gave me time - time to problem solve, to plan, to reflect, to observe and to pray. Part of the observation piece of these walks as many will attest is that unless you are blind, you
cannot help but see the numerous homeless that hang out in the skyway. Especially in the winter time, this becomes their daytime home, a place to stay warm and safe. Once in a while one of them will stop you and ask for help. I have to be honest here - sometimes that feels uncomfortable. But often, I would reach into my pocket and give them some change or a few dollars. Of course, for a moment, I would feel good about what I had done. However, this act should not be about me, it is about the other person, about their need and serving God, as shared with us through God's word:
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Matthew 25:25-40
It is clear we are called to share our blessings. When we see opportunities to help, Christ tells us that we are to help those in need, without judgement.
While walking I would often think about this. One day I was struck by the thought that many of the needy I ran into on my walks lived daily without a lot of hope. How do I, one person, make a difference when there are so many needs, so many people that need some sort of help, that need hope?
I also struggled with the thought that we as a society (I mean the statement as a reference to an overall trend - my opinion only) have been fast moving away from God's call to help those in need to an "I" centric world, where many individuals are focused only on themselves.
One particular day as I was walking I had a thought...how do we move from a society that chases and embraces the idea of 15 minutes of fame (as coined by Andy Warhol) to a society that is willing to share 15 minutes of hope?
This happened about a year ago. When I finished my walk and was back at my desk, I took a post-it-note and wrote down the words "15 minutes of hope" and pinned it on the wall. I had a few discussions with co-workers and others but never really pursued this thought further.
Until now. I recently lost my job in a corporate re-organization. Not a bad thing, just a part of my journey in this life and in Christ.
As I packed up, I made sure I grabbed that note.
While working on my career transition, I have had time to pray about my career direction and the idea of 15 minutes of hope, where that might lead me. In addition to pursuing my next career opportunities, I have also slated time to pursue this idea. As I have been doing research, in addition to what I was already aware of, I have discovered many other people and organizations that make me hopeful - people and organizations that reach out to those in need as we been called to do - delivering hope.
I am not sure how this idea will germinate and bloom but there is a growing list of ideas about what this can become from those who have heard the idea. Taking all of this input to create a way that delivers on the idea of 15 minutes of hope is the ultimate goal. In my future posts I will share ideas others have contributed. This idea comes from walking with Christ. So where ever this idea goes, it is for God's glory.
I look forward to hearing from you, if you feel moved to, please share your thoughts on delivering 15 minutes of hope to someone who needs it!
Patrick Engesser
May 2013
P.S. I will write about this more but it may take awhile before I get the next posting written. The plan is to start sharing some of the ideas that have been generated so far regarding what 15 minutes of hope might lead to.